Q&A: Why claim that the purpose of the universe is internal?
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Why claim that the purpose of the universe is internal?
Question
The Rabbi argues that since there is free choice, it follows that the purpose is something connected to our choice.
But one could say that the purpose is external to the world—for example (admittedly ironic, but seriously), that God made a bet with someone else over who could create a more sophisticated world, and free choice is part of that sophistication.
Answer
Possible. But there is still someone who created the world and gave us free choice. Philosophy gets you that far, and from there on it is revelation, tradition, and other considerations. See the notebooks.